Think modern art, not arts and crafts: abstract polka dots never looked so perfect! I had polka-dot everything back in junior high in the eighties; this shoe would not only have completed me, it would have put me stratospheres ahead of my peers (and about ten feet taller!). Charlotte Olympia’s take makes me think dots are meant to be a little messy – they look so much more sophisticated this way.

And I don’t need to tell you how difficult it is to find a good white pump. Mixing two themes that can easily take the chic out of the shoe, Charlotte Olympia proves she can do no wrong. Getting it right once again, canvas relaxes a highbrow high-heel shape, and that angular island platform is to die for. And trust me, you won’t even feel that this is a 6” heel.

Charlotte Olympia Dellal has proven herself to be the most creative shoe designer of our time by far. Her signature platform pumps have been imitated by designers high and low (and she’s only into her fourth year under her own label), and this polka-dot variation will be no exception. But I’m not worried, I’m positive she will always be way ahead of the imitators. At Bergdorf Goodman for $875.

Pair with: A wallop of bold coral will complete the classic yet vivacious feel. Like Charlotte, Rolan Mouret never gets it wrong. His dresses fit to perfection and the O’Hara origami-style crepe style is a sure-fit winner. On Net-a-Porter for $2,040.